TYPES OF NETWORKS

PAN (Personal Area Network)

PAN is used on a personal level as it covers only a small area, typically within 10 meters.
Slower than LAN, has less capacity.
Used to connect smart phones, tablets, laptop, to transmit pictures, songs, videos etc.
Can be connected wirelessly by Bluetooth, infrared, NFC
Can also have a wired connection by usb cable.
LAN (Local Area Network)
Note: PAN can also be referred to
LAN is a group of devices such as computer, printer, switches typically as LAN, in other words, PAN is a
connected inside a building, an office, or home. Can be as simple as subset of LAN.
connecting two personal computers and a printer, or spanning across the In LAN, a task is subdivided for
whole office connecting a different audio and video peripherals as well. each computer connected in the
network for (personal use).
Speed varies 100mb to 1000mb.
Used to connect PCs or workstations.
CAN (Campus Area Network)
Used to join two or two or more LANs within a limited area.
The range of CAN is 1 km to 5 km.
e.g. different buildings of a university campus, each building will have their own LAN which are
further connected to CAN
MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)
Larger than CAN, spans over different buildings of a town or a city. Connected with a high-speed
connection such as optical fiber
SAN (Storage Area Network)
A high-speed dedicated network to use for data storage and providing
access for data. It can support large amount of traffic.
Is not connected with LANs, it’s a connection by itself.
WAN (Wide Area Network)
Largest type of network which contains LANs, CANs, and MANs can
span up to a country, a continent or even the whole world.
E.g. Internet